Task completion in a tracking device environment

ABSTRACT

A set of tracking devices can be placed within a geographic area as part of a scavenger hunt. A user with a mobile device can traverse the area, and when the user moves within a threshold proximity or communicative range of a tracking device, the mobile device can receive a communication from the tracking device identifying the tracking device. In response to determining that the tracking device is part of the set of tracking devices and thus part of the scavenger hunt, the mobile device can modify a tracking device interface displaying a representation of the tracking device to indicate that the tracking device has been found. In response to each tracking device being found, the mobile device can modify the tracking device interface to indicate that the scavenger hunt has been completed.

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION

This application is a continuation of U.S. application Ser. No.16/521,454, filed Jul. 24, 2019, now patent Ser. No. ______, whichapplication is a continuation of U.S. application Ser. No. 16/016,549,filed Jun. 23, 2018, now U.S. Pat. No. 10,404,851, which applicationclaims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Application No. 62/530,019, filedJul. 7, 2017, the contents of which are incorporated by reference hereinin their entirety.

BACKGROUND

This disclosure relates generally to tracking devices, and morespecifically, to tracking the completion of tasks or the presence of auser at locations.

Electronic tracking devices have created numerous ways for people totrack the locations of people and/or objects. For example, a user canuse GPS technology to track a device remotely or determine a location ofthe user. In another example, a user can attach a tracking device to animportant object, such as keys or a wallet, and use the features of thetracking device to more quickly locate the object, (e.g., if it becomeslost).

However, traditional tracking devices and corresponding systems sufferfrom one or more disadvantages. For instance, a battery of the trackingdevice may be difficult to recharge or replace, thus limiting thelifespan of the tracking device to the length of time the battery canpower the tracking device. Accordingly, there is a need to improveperformance in order to reduce the power requirements of the trackingdevice, thereby extending the amount of time the battery can power thetracking device, and thus extending the lifespan of the tracking deviceitself.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 illustrates an example tracking system environment in which atracking device can operate, according to one embodiment.

FIG. 2 illustrates an example tracking system for use in a trackingsystem environment, according to one embodiment.

FIG. 3 illustrates an example user mobile device for use in a trackingsystem environment, according to one embodiment.

FIG. 4 illustrates an example community mobile device for use in atracking system environment, according to one embodiment.

FIG. 5 illustrates an example tracking device for use in a trackingsystem environment, according to one embodiment.

FIG. 6 illustrates an example scavenger hunt implemented in a trackingsystem environment, according to one embodiment.

FIG. 7 is a flow chart illustrating a process for locating trackingdevices within a scavenger hunt, according to one embodiment.

The figures depict various embodiments of the present invention forpurposes of illustration only. One skilled in the art will readilyrecognize from the following discussion that alternative embodiments ofthe structures and methods illustrated herein may be employed withoutdeparting from the principles of the invention described herein.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Environment Overview

Embodiments described herein detail functionality associated with atracking device. A user can attach a tracking device to or enclose thetracking device within an object, such as a wallet, keys, a car, a bike,a pet, or any other object that the user wants to track. The user canthen use a mobile device (e.g., by way of a software applicationinstalled on the mobile device) or other device or service to track thetracking device and corresponding object. For example, the mobile devicecan perform a local search for a tracking device attached to a near-byobject. However, in situations where the user is unable to locate thetracking device using their own mobile device (e.g., if the trackingdevice is beyond a distance within which the mobile device and thetracking device can communicate), the user can leverage the capabilitiesof a community of users of a tracking device system.

In particular, a tracking system (also referred to herein as a “cloudserver” or simply “server”) can maintain user profiles associated with aplurality of users of the tracking device system. The tracking systemcan associate each user within the system with one or more trackingdevices associated the user (e.g., tracking devices that the user haspurchased and is using to track objects owned by the user). If theuser's object becomes lost or stolen, the user can send an indicationthat the tracking device is lost to the tracking system, which is incommunication with one or more mobile devices associated with thecommunity of users in communication with the system. The tracking systemcan set a flag indicating the tracking device is lost. When one of acommunity of mobile devices that are scanning for nearby trackingdevices and providing updated locations to the tracking systemidentifies a flagged tracking device, the tracking system can associatethe received location with the flagged tracking device, and relay thelocation to a user of the tracking device, thereby enabling the user tolocate the lost tracking device.

FIG. 1 illustrates an example tracking system environment in which atracking device can operate, according to one embodiment. Theenvironment of FIG. 1 includes a tracking system 100 communicativelycoupled to a mobile device 102 associated with the user 103 via a firstnetwork 108. The tracking system 100 is also communicatively coupled toa plurality of community mobile devices 104 a through 104 n(collectively referred to herein as “community mobile devices 104”)associated with a plurality of users 105 a through 105 n of the trackingsystem 100 (collectively referred to herein as “community users 105”)via the first network 108. As will be explained in more detail below,the tracking system 100 can allow the user 103 to manage and/or locate atracking device 106 associated with the user 103. In some embodiments,the tracking system 100 leverages the capabilities of community mobiledevices 104 to locate the tracking device 106 if the location of thetracking device is unknown to the user 103 and beyond the capabilitiesof mobile device 102 to track. In some configurations, the user 103 mayown and register multiple tracking devices 106. Although FIG. 1illustrates a particular arrangement of the tracking system 100, mobiledevice 102, community mobile devices 104, and tracking device 106,various additional arrangements are possible.

In some configurations, the user 103 may be part of the community ofusers 105. Further, one or more users 105 may own and register one ormore tracking devices 106. Thus, any one of the users within thecommunity of users 105 can communicate with tracking system 100 andleverage the capabilities of the community of users 105 in addition tothe user 103 to locate a tracking device 106 that has been lost.

The tracking system 100, mobile device 102, and plurality of communitymobile devices 104 may communicate using any communication platforms andtechnologies suitable for transporting data and/or communicationsignals, including known communication technologies, devices, media, andprotocols supportive of remote data communications.

In certain embodiments, the tracking system 100, mobile device 102, andcommunity mobile devices 104 may communicate via a network 108, whichmay include one or more networks, including, but not limited to,wireless networks (e.g., wireless communication networks), mobiletelephone networks (e.g., cellular telephone networks), closedcommunication networks, open communication networks, satellite networks,navigation networks, broadband networks, narrowband networks, theInternet, local area networks, and any other networks capable ofcarrying data and/or communications signals between the tracking system100, mobile device 102, and community mobile devices 104. The mobiledevice 102 and community of mobile devices 104 may also be incommunication with a tracking device 106 via a second network 110. Thesecond network 110 may be a similar or different type of network as thefirst network 108. In some embodiments, the second network 110 comprisesa wireless network with a limited communication range, such as aBluetooth or Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) wireless network. In someconfigurations, the second network 110 is a point-to-point networkincluding the tracking device 106 and one or more mobile devices thatfall within a proximity of the tracking device 106. In such embodiments,the mobile device 102 and community mobile devices 104 may only be ableto communicate with the tracking device 106 if they are within a closeproximity to the tracking device, though in other embodiments, thetracking device can use long-distance communication functionality (forinstance, a GSM transceiver) to communicate with either a mobile device102/104 or the tracking system 100 at any distance. In someconfigurations, the mobile device 102 and one or more community mobiledevices 104 may each be associated with multiple tracking devicesassociated with various users.

As mentioned above, FIG. 1 illustrates the mobile device 102 associatedwith the user 103. The mobile device 102 can be configured to performone or more functions described herein with respect to locating trackingdevices (e.g., tracking device 106). For example, the mobile device 102can receive input from the user 103 representative of information aboutthe user 103 and information about a tracking device 106. The mobiledevice 102 may then provide the received user information, trackingdevice information, and/or information about the mobile device 102 tothe tracking system 100. Accordingly, the tracking system 100 is able toassociate the mobile device 102, the user 103, and/or the trackingdevice 106 with one another. In some embodiments, the mobile device 102can communicate with the tracking device 106 and provide informationregarding the location of the tracking device to the user 103. Forexample, the mobile device 102 can detect a communication signal fromthe tracking device 106 (e.g., by way of second network 110) as well asa strength of the communication signal or other measure of proximity todetermine an approximate distance between the mobile device 102 and thetracking device 106. The mobile device 102 can then provide thisinformation to the user 103 (e.g., by way of one or more graphical userinterfaces) to assist the user 103 to locate the tracking device 106.Accordingly, the user 103 can use the mobile device 102 to track andlocate the tracking device 106 and a corresponding object associatedwith the tracking device 106. If the mobile device 102 is located beyondthe immediate range of communication with the tracking device 106 (e.g.,beyond the second network 110), the mobile device 102 can be configuredto send an indication that a tracking device 106 is lost to the trackingsystem 100, requesting assistance in finding the tracking device. Themobile device 102 can send an indication of a lost device in response toa command from the user 103. For example, once the user 103 hasdetermined that the tracking device 106 is lost, the user can provideuser input to the mobile device 102 (e.g., by way of a graphical userinterface), requesting that the mobile device 102 send an indicationthat the tracking device 106 is lost to the tracking system 100. In someexamples, the lost indication can include information identifying theuser 103 (e.g., name, username, authentication information), informationassociated with the mobile device 102 (e.g., a mobile phone number),information associated with the tracking device (e.g., a unique trackingdevice identifier), or a location of the user (e.g., a GPS location ofthe mobile device 102 at the time the request is sent).

The tracking system 100 can be configured to provide a number offeatures and services associated with the tracking and management of aplurality of tracking devices and/or users associated with the trackingdevices. For example, the tracking system 100 can manage informationand/or user profiles associated with user 103 and community users 105.In particular, the tracking system 100 can manage information associatedwith the tracking device 106 and/or other tracking devices associatedwith the user 103 and/or the community users 105.

As mentioned above, the tracking system 100 can receive an indicationthat the tracking device 106 is lost from the mobile device 102. Thetracking system 100 can then process the indication in order to help theuser 103 find the tracking device 106. For example, the tracking system100 can leverage the capabilities of the community mobile devices 104 tohelp find the tracking device 106. In particular, the tracking system100 may set a flag for a tracking device 106 to indicate that thetracking device 106 lost and monitor communications received from thecommunity mobile devices 104 indicating the location of one or moretracking devices 106 within proximity of the community mobile devices104. The tracking system 100 can determine whether a specific locationis associated with the lost tracking device 106 and provide any locationupdates associated with the tracking device 106 to the mobile device102. In one example, the tracking system may receive constant updates oftracking device 106 locations regardless of whether a tracking device106 is lost and provide a most recent updated location of the trackingdevice 106 in response to receiving an indication that the trackingdevice 106 is lost.

In some configurations, the tracking system 100 can send a locationrequest associated with the tracking device 106 to each of the communitymobile devices 104. The location request can include any instructionsand/or information necessary for the community mobile devices 106 tofind the tracking device 102. For example, the location request caninclude a unique identifier associated with the tracking device 106 thatcan be used by the community mobile devices 104 to identify the trackingdevice 106. Accordingly, if one of the community mobile devices 104detects a communication from the tracking device 106 (e.g., if thecommunity mobile device 104 is within range or moves within range of thecommunication capabilities of the tracking device 106 and receives asignal from the tracking device 106 including or associated with theunique identifier associated with the tracking device 106), thecommunity mobile device 104 can inform the tracking system 100. Usingthe information received from the community mobile devices 104, thetracking system 100 can inform the user (e.g., by way of the mobiledevice 102) of a potential location of the tracking device 106.

As shown in FIG. 1 and as mentioned above, the tracking system 100 cancommunicate with a plurality of community mobile devices 104 associatedwith corresponding community users 105. For example, an implementationmay include a first community mobile device 104 a associated with afirst community user 105 a, a second community mobile device 104 bassociated with a second community user 105 b, and additionalcommunication mobile devices associated with additional community usersup to an nth community mobile device 104 n associated with an nthcommunity user 105 n. The community mobile devices 104 may also includefunctionality that enables each community mobile device 104 to identifya tracking device 106 within a proximity of the community mobile device104. In one example, a first community mobile device 104 a withinproximity of a tracking device 106 can communicate with the trackingdevice 106, identify the tracking device 106 (e.g., using a uniqueidentifier associated with the tracking device 106), and/or detect alocation associated with the tracking device 106 (e.g., a location ofthe first mobile community device 104 a at the time of the communicationwith the tracking device 106). This information can be used to provideupdated locations and/or respond to a location request from the trackingsystem 100 regarding the tracking device 106. In some embodiments, thesteps performed by the first community mobile device 104 a can be hiddenfrom the first community user 105 a. Accordingly, the first communitymobile device 104 a can assist in locating the tracking device 106without bother and without the knowledge of the first community user 105a.

As mentioned above, the tracking system 100 can assist a user 103 inlocating a tracking device 106. The tracking device may be a chip, tile,tag, or other device for housing circuitry and that may be attached toor enclosed within an object such as a wallet, keys, purse, car, orother object that the user 103 may track. Additionally, the trackingdevice 106 may include a speaker for emitting a sound and/or atransmitter for broadcasting a beacon. In one configuration, thetracking device 106 may periodically transmit a beacon signal that maybe detected using a nearby mobile device 102 and/or community mobiledevice 104. In some configurations, the tracking device 106 broadcasts abeacon at regular intervals (e.g., one second intervals) that may bedetected from a nearby mobile device (e.g., community mobile device104). The strength of the signal emitted from the tracking device 106may be used to determine a degree of proximity to the mobile device 102or community mobile device 104 that detects the signal. For example, ahigher strength signal would indicate a close proximity between thetracking device 106 and the mobile device 102 and a lower strengthsignal would indicate a more remote proximity between the trackingdevice 106 and the mobile device 102, though in some embodiments, thetracking device 106 can intentionally vary the transmission strength ofthe beacon signal. In some cases, the strength of signal or absence of asignal may be used to indicate that a tracking device 106 is lost.

System Overview

FIG. 2 illustrates an example tracking system for use in a trackingsystem environment, according to one embodiment. As shown, the trackingsystem 100 may include, but is not limited to, an association manager204, a tracking device location manager 206, and a data manager 208,each of which may be in communication with one another using anysuitable communication technologies. It will be recognized that althoughmanagers 204-208 are shown to be separate in FIG. 2, any of the managers204-208 may be combined into fewer managers, such as into a singlemanager, or divided into more managers as may serve a particularembodiment.

The association manager 204 may be configured to receive, transmit,obtain, and/or update information about a user 103 and/or informationabout one or more specific tracking devices (e.g., tracking device 106).In some configurations, the association manager 204 may associateinformation associated with a user 103 with information associated witha tracking device 106. For example, user information and trackinginformation may be obtained by way of a mobile device 102, and theassociation manager 204 may be used to link the user information andtracking information. The association between user 103 and trackingdevice 106 may be used for authentication purposes, or for storing userinformation, tracking device information, permissions, or otherinformation about a user 103 and/or tracking device 106 in a database.

The tracking system 100 also includes a tracking device location manager206. The tracking device location manager 206 may receive and process anindication that the tracking device 106 is lost from a mobile device(e.g., mobile device 102 or community mobile devices 104). For example,the tracking system 100 may receive a lost indication from a mobiledevice 102 indicating that the tracking device 106 is lost. The trackingdevice location manager 206 may set a flag on a database (e.g., trackerdatabase 212) indicating that the tracking device 106 is lost. Thetracking device location manager 206 may also query a database todetermine tracking information corresponding to the associated user 103and/or tracking device 106. The tracking system 100 may obtain trackingdevice information and provide the tracking device information or otherinformation associated with the tracking device 106 to a plurality ofcommunity mobile devices 104 to be on alert for the lost or unavailabletracking device 106.

The tracking device location manager 206 may also receive a locationfrom one or more community mobile devices 104 that detect the trackingdevice 106, for instance in response to the community mobile devicereceiving a beacon signal transmitted by the tracking device 106,without the tracking device 106 having been previously marked as lost.In such embodiments, a user corresponding to the mobile device 102 canrequest a most recent location associated with the tracking device fromthe tracking system 100, and the location manager 206 can provide thelocation received from the community mobile device for display by themobile device 102. In some embodiments, the location manager 206provides the location of the tracking device 106 received from acommunity mobile device either automatically (for instance if thetracking device 106 is marked as lost) or at the request of a user ofthe mobile device 102 (for instance, via an application on the mobiledevice 102). The location manager 206 can provide a location of atracking device 106 to a mobile device 102 via a text message, pushnotification, application notification, automated voice message, or anyother suitable form of communication.

The tracking device location manager 206 may further manage providingindications about whether a tracking device 106 is lost or not lost. Forexample, as discussed above, the tracking device location manager 206may provide a location request to the community of mobile devices 104indicating that a tracking device 106 is lost. Additionally, uponlocation of the tracking device 106 by the user 103 or by one of thecommunity of users 105, the tracking device location manager 206 mayprovide an indication to the user 103, community user 105, or trackingsystem 100 that the tracking device 106 has been found, thus removingany flags associated with a tracking device and/or canceling anylocation request previously provided to the community of users 105. Forexample, where a user 103 sends an indication that the tracking device106 is lost to the tracking system 100 and later finds the trackingdevice 106, the mobile device 102 may provide an indication to thetracking system 100 that the tracking device 106 has been found. Inresponse, the tracking device location manager 206 may remove a flagindicating that the tracking device 106 is lost and/or provide anupdated indication to the community of users 105 that the trackingdevice 106 has been found, thus canceling any instructions associatedwith the previously provided location request. In some configurations,the notification that the tracking device 106 has been found may beprovided automatically upon the mobile device 102 detecting the trackingdevice 106 within a proximity of the mobile device 102. Alternatively,the notification that the tracking device 106 has been found may beprovided by the user 103 via user input on the mobile device 102. Inanother example, a known user (e.g., a friend or family member) withwhom the tracking device 106 has been shared may provide an indicationthat the tracking device 106 has been found.

The tracking system 100 additionally includes a data manager 208. Thedata manager 208 may store and manage information associated with users,mobile devices, tracking devices, permissions, location requests, andother data that may be stored and/or maintained in a database related toperforming location services of tracking devices. As shown, the datamanager 208 may include, but is not limited to, a user database 210, atracker database 212, permissions data 214, and location request data216. It will be recognized that although databases and data within thedata manager 208 are shown to be separate in FIG. 2, any of the userdatabase 210, tracker database 212, permissions data 214, and locationrequest data 216 may be combined in a single database or manager, ordivided into more databases or managers as may serve a particularembodiment.

The data manager 208 may include the user database 210. The userdatabase 210 may be used to store data related to various users. Forexample, the user database 210 may include data about the user 103 aswell as data about each user 105 in a community of users 105. Thecommunity of users 105 may include any user that has provided userinformation to the tracking system 100 via a mobile device 102, 104 orother electronic device. The user information may be associated with oneor more respective tracking devices 106, or may be stored without anassociation to a particular tracking device. For example, a communityuser 105 may provide user information and permit performance of trackingfunctions on the community mobile device 104 without owning or beingassociated with a tracking device 106. The user database 210 may alsoinclude information about one or more mobile devices or other electronicdevices associated with a particular user.

The data manager 208 may also include a tracker database 212. Thetracker database 212 may be used to store data related to trackingdevices. For example, the tracker database 212 may include tracking datafor any tracking device 106 that has been registered with the trackingsystem 100. Tracking data may include unique tracker identifications(IDs) associated with individual tracking devices 106. Tracker IDs maybe associated with a respective user 103. Tracker IDs may also beassociated with multiple users. Additionally, the tracker database 212may include any flags or other indications associated with whether aspecific tracking device 106 has been indicated as lost and whether anyincoming communications with regard to that tracking device 106 shouldbe processed based on the presence of a flag associated with thetracking device 106.

The data manager 208 may further include permissions data 214 andlocation request data 216. Permissions data 214 may include levels ofpermissions associated with a particular user 103 and/or tracking device106. For example, permissions data 214 may include additional users thathave been indicated as sharing a tracking device 106, or who have beengiven permission to locate or receive a location of a tracking device106. Location request data 216 may include information related to alocation request or a lost indication received from the user 103 via amobile device 102.

FIG. 3 illustrates an example user mobile device for use in a trackingsystem environment, according to one embodiment. As shown, the mobiledevice 102 may include, but is not limited to, a user interface manager302, a location request manager 304, a database manager 306, and atracking manager 308, each of which may be in communication with oneanother using any suitable communication technologies. It will berecognized that although managers 302-308 are shown to be separate inFIG. 3, any of the managers 302-308 may be combined into fewer managers,such as into a single manager, or divided into more managers as mayserve a particular embodiment.

As will be explained in more detail below, the mobile device 102includes the user interface manager 302. The user interface manager 302may facilitate providing the user 103 access to data on a trackingsystem 100 and/or providing data to the tracking system 100. Further,the user interface manager 302 provides a user interface by which theuser 103 may communicate with tracking system 100 and/or tracking device106 via mobile device 102.

The mobile device 102 may also include a location request manager 304.The location request manager 304 may receive and process a request inputto the mobile device 102 to send an indication that a tracking device106 is lost to a tracking system 100. For example, the user 103 mayprovide an indication that a tracking device 106 is lost, unreachable,or otherwise unavailable from the mobile device 102 via the userinterface manager 302, and the location request manager 304 may processthe lost indication and provide any necessary data to the trackingsystem 100 for processing and relaying a location request to other users105 over a network 108. In some configurations, an indication that atracking device 106 is lost is provided via user input. Alternatively,the indication may be transmitted automatically in response to themobile device 102 determining that a tracking device 106 is lost.

In addition, the location request manager 304 can request a location ofthe tracking device 106 without the tracking device 106 being identifiedas lost. For instance, a user can access a tracking device locationfeature of an application running on the mobile device 102 (for example,via the user interface manager 302), and the location request manager304 can request a most recent location of the tracking device 106 fromthe tracking system 100. The location request manager 304 can receivethe most recent location from the tracking system 100, and can displaythe most recent location via the user interface manager 302.

The mobile device 102 may also include a database manager 306. Thedatabase manager 306 may maintain data related to the user 103, trackingdevice 106, permissions, or other data that may be used for locating atracking device 106 and/or providing a request to a tracking system 100for locating one or more tracking devices 106 associated with the user103. Further, the database manager 306 may maintain any information thatmay be accessed using any other manager on the mobile device 102.

The mobile device 102 may further include a tracking manager 308. Thetracking manager 308 may include a tracking application (e.g., asoftware application) for communicating with and locating a trackingdevice 106 associated with the user 103. For example, the trackingmanager 308 may be one configuration of a tracking application installedon the mobile device 102 that provides the functionality for locating atracking device 106 and/or requesting location of a tracking device 106using a tracking system 100 and/or a plurality of community mobiledevices 104. As shown, the tracking manager 308 may include, but is notlimited to, a Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) manager 310, a persistencemanager 312, a local files manager 314, a motion manager 316, a securestorage manager 318, a settings manager 320, a location manager 322, anetwork manager 324, a notification manager 326, a sound manager 328, afriends manager 330, a photo manager 332, an authentication manager 334,and a device manager 336. Thus, the tracking manager 308 may perform anyof the functions associated with managers 310-338, described inadditional detail below.

The BLE manager 310 may be used to manage communication with one or moretracking devices 106. The persistence manager 312 may be used to storelogical schema information that is relevant to the tracking manager 308.The local files manager 314 may be responsible for managing all filesthat are input or output from the mobile device 102. The motion manager316 may be responsible for all motion management required by thetracking manager 308. The secure storage manager may be responsible forstorage of secure data, including information such as passwords andprivate data that would be accessed through this sub-system. Thesettings manager 320 may be responsible for managing settings used bythe tracking manager 308. Such settings may be user controlled (e.g.,user settings) or defined by the tracking manager 308 for internal use(e.g., application settings) by a mobile device 102 and/or the trackingsystem 100. The location manager 322 may be responsible for all locationtracking done by the tracking manager 308. For example, the locationmanager 322 may manage access to the location services of the mobiledevice 102 and works in conjunction with other managers to persist data.The network manager 324 may be responsible for all Internetcommunications from the tracking manager 308. For example, the networkmanager 324 may mediate all Internet API calls for the tracking manager308. The notification manager 326 may be responsible for managing localand push notifications required by the tracking manager 308. The soundmanager 328 may be responsible for playback of audio cues by thetracking manager 308. The friends manager 330 may be responsible formanaging access to contacts and the user's social graph. The photomanager 332 may be responsible for capturing and managing photos used bythe tracking manager 308. The authentication manager 334 may beresponsible for handling the authentication (e.g., sign in or login) ofusers. The authentication manager 334 may also include registration(e.g., sign up) functionality. The authentication manager 334 furthercoordinates with other managers to achieve registration functionality.The device manager 336 may be responsible for managing the devicesdiscovered by the tracking manager 308. The device manager 336 mayfurther store and/or maintain the logic for algorithms related to devicediscovery and update.

FIG. 4 illustrates an example community mobile device for use in atracking system environment, according to one embodiment. As shown, thecommunity mobile device 104 may include, but is not limited to, a userinterface manager 402, a tracking device manager 404, a database manager406, and a tracking manager 408, each of which may be in communicationwith one another using any suitable communication technologies. The userinterface manager 402, database manager 406, and tracking manager 408illustrated in FIG. 4 may include similar features and functionality asthe user interface manager 302, database manager 306, and trackingmanager 308 described above in connection with FIG. 3. It will berecognized that although managers 402-408 are shown to be separate inFIG. 4, any of the managers 402-408 may be combined into fewer managers,such as into a single manager, or divided into more managers as mayserve a particular embodiment.

The community mobile device 104 may include a tracking device manager404. The tracking device manager 404 may facilitate scanning for nearbytracking devices 106. In some configurations, the tracking devicemanager 404 can continuously or periodically scan (e.g., once persecond) for nearby tracking devices 106. The tracking device manager 404may determine whether to provide an updated location of the nearbytracking device 106 to the tracking system 100. In some configurations,the tracking device manager 404 provides a location of a nearby trackingdevice 106 automatically. Alternatively, the tracking device manager 404may determine whether the location of the tracking device 106 has beenrecently updated, and may determine whether to provide an updatedlocation based on the last time a location of the tracking device 106has been updated (e.g., by the community mobile device 104). Forexample, where the community mobile device 104 has provided a recentupdate of the location of a tracking device 106, the tracking devicemanager 404 may decide to wait a predetermined period of time (e.g., 5minutes) before providing an updated location of the same trackingdevice 106.

In one configuration, the tracking device manager 404 may receive andprocess a location request or other information relayed to the communitymobile device 104 by the tracking system 100. For example, the trackingdevice manager 404 may receive an indication of a tracking device 106that has been indicated as lost, and provide a location of the trackingdevice 106 if it comes within proximity of the community mobile device104. In some configurations, the community mobile device 104 isconstantly scanning nearby areas to determine if there is a trackingdevice 106 within a proximity of the community mobile device 104.Therefore, where a tracking device 106 that matches information providedby the tracking system 100 (e.g., from the location request) comeswithin proximity of the community mobile device 104, the tracking devicemanager 404 may generate and transmit a response to the location requestto the tracking system 100, which may be provided to the user 103associated with the tracking device 106. Further, generating andtransmitting the response to the tracking request may be conditioned onthe status of the tracking device 106 being flagged as lost by themobile device 102 and/or the tracking system 100.

The tracking device manager 404 may additionally provide otherinformation to the tracking system 100 in response to receiving thetracking request. For example, in addition to providing a location ofthe community mobile device 104, the tracking device manager may providea signal strength associated with the location to indicate a level ofproximity to the location of the community mobile device 104 provided tothe user 103. For example, if a signal strength is high, the locationprovided to the user 103 is likely to be more accurate than a locationaccompanied by a low signal strength. This may provide additionalinformation that the user 103 may find useful in determining the preciselocation of tracking device 106.

As described above, the tracking device manager 404 may determinewhether to send a location within the proximity of the tracking device106 to the tracking system 100. The determination of whether to send alocation to the tracking system 100 may be based on a variety offactors. For example, a tracking device manager 404 may determine tosend a location of the tracking device 106 to a tracking system 100based on whether the detected tracking device 106 has been indicated aslost or if a tracking request has been provided to the community mobiledevice 104 for the particular tracking device 106. In someconfigurations, the community mobile device 104 may send an update of alocation of a tracking device 106 even if the tracking device 106 is notassociated with a current tracking request or if the tracking device 106is not indicated as lost. For example, where the location of a trackingdevice 106 has not been updated for a predetermined period of time, thecommunity mobile device 104 may provide an update of a tracking devicelocation to the tracking system 100, regardless of whether a trackingrequest has been received.

In some configurations, the community mobile device 104 may includeadditional features. For example, the community mobile device 104 mayallow a tracking system 100 to snap and download a photo using photofunctionality of the community mobile device 104. In someconfigurations, this may be an opt-in feature by which a community user105 permits a tracking system 100 to take a snap-shot and possiblyprovide a visual image of an area within a proximity of the trackingdevice 106.

FIG. 5 illustrates an example tracking device for use in a trackingsystem environment, according to one embodiment. The tracking device 106of FIG. 5 includes an interface 502, a transceiver 504, a controller506, one or more sensors 508, and a GPS unit 510. The transceiver 504 isa hardware circuit capable of both transmitting and receiving signals.It should be noted that in other embodiments, the tracking device 106includes fewer, additional, or different components than thoseillustrated in FIG. 5.

The interface 502 provides a communicative interface between thetracking device 106 and one or more other devices, such as a mobiledevice 102. For instance, the interface 502 can instruct the transceiver504 to output beacon signals as described above (for example,periodically or in response to a triggering event, such as a detectedmovement of the tracking device 106). The interface 502 can, in responseto the receiving of signals by the transceiver 504 from, for instance,the mobile device 102, manage a pairing protocol to establish acommunicative connection between the tracking device 106 and the mobiledevice 102. As noted above, the pairing protocol can be a BLEconnection, though in other embodiments, the interface 502 can manageother suitable wireless connection protocols (such as WiFi, GlobalSystem for Mobile Communcations or GSM, and the like).

The controller 506 is a hardware chip that configures the trackingdevice 106 to perform one or more functions or to operate in one oroperating modes or states. For instance, the controller 506 canconfigure the interval at which the transceiver broadcasts beaconsignals, can authorize or prevent particular devices from pairing withthe tracking device 106 based on information received from the devicesand permissions stored at the tracking device, can increase or decreasethe transmission strength of signals broadcasted by the transceiver, canconfigure the interface to emit a ringtone or flash an LED light, canenable or disable various tracking device sensors, can enable or disablea tracking device GPS unit, can enable or disable communicativefunctionality of the tracking device 106 (such as a GSM transmitter andreceiving), can configure the tracking device into a sleep mode or awakemode, can configure the tracking device into a power saving mode, andthe like. The controller 506 can configure the tracking device toperform functions or to operate in a particular operating mode based oninformation or signals received from a device paired with or attemptingto pair with the tracking device 106, based on an operating state orconnection state of the tracking device 106, based on user-selectedsettings, based on information stored at the tracking device 106, basedon a detected location of the tracking device 106, based on historicalbehavior of the tracking device 106 (such as a previous length of timethe tracking device was configured to operate in a particular mode),based on information received from the sensors 508 or the GPS 510, orbased on any other suitable criteria.

The sensors 508 can include motion sensors (such as gyroscopes oraccelerators), altimeters, orientation sensors, proximity sensors, lightsensors, or any other suitable sensor configured to detect anenvironment of the tracking device 106, a state of the tracking device106, a movement or location of the tracking device 106, and the like.The sensors 508 are configured to provide information detected by thesensors to the controller 506. The GPS unit 510 is configured to detecta location of the tracking device 106 based on received GPS signals, andis configured to provide detected locations to the controller 506.

Tracking Device-Enabled Task Completion Tracking

In some embodiments, the tracking system 100 can track or identify thecompletion of tasks by a user 103 based on a physical proximity betweenthe tracking device 106 and one or more objects corresponding to thetasks. As used herein, “completion of a task” can refer to the presenceof the user 103 at a particular location, the performance of an actionby the user, the movement of a user from a first location to a secondlocation, or the like. As used herein, an “object corresponding to atask” refers to a device configured to wirelessly detect the trackingdevice 106 and communicate the detection of the tracking device with thetracking system 100. As used herein, “based on physical proximitybetween the tracking device and an object” refers to the wirelessreceipt by the object of a signal from the tracking device, for instancewhen the tracking device is located within the communicative range ofthe object or vice versa.

In some embodiments, the tracking system 100 can implement a game orscavenger hunt including a plurality of objects configured to detect thetracking device 106 and provide an indication to the tracking systemwhen the tracking device is detected. For example, a set of objects canbe dispersed within a geographic area, and a set of users (eachassociated with a different tracking device) can “hunt” for the objectsby moving within the geographic area. As the tracking device of a usermoves within a threshold distance of each object, the object can informthe tracking system 100 that the user “found” the object. The trackingsystem 100 can, for each of the plurality of users, keep track of whichobjects have been found by the user. The tracking system 100 can informeach user of the objects that they've found, can illustrate within a mapinterface of a mobile device of the user the locations within thegeographic region that the user has traveled (for instance using a GPScapability of the mobile device), and can provide rewards ornotifications to one or more users that find all or a threshold numberof the objects within the geographic area.

In some embodiments, users are unaware of the location of objects withina geographic area, and must “find” the objects by moving around thegeographic area. In other embodiments, the tracking system 100 canprovide the locations of the objects to the mobile device of the user,and the mobile device can illustrate the locations of the objects withina map interface displayed by the mobile device. In some embodiments, thetracking system 100 can also include an order that a tracking devicemust find objects—in such embodiments, the tracking system will consideran object detected only in response to the tracking device being withina threshold proximity of the object and the object being the next objectin the provided order. Accordingly, if the tracking device moves withina threshold proximity of an object out of order (e.g., if the trackingdevices moves within a threshold proximity of a second object in anorder before a first object in an order), the object can provide anindication that the object detected the tracking device to the trackingsystem, but the tracking system won't indicate that the user associatedwith the tracking device has found the object until the objects beforethe object in the order have been found (and may require the user tore-find the object after).

In some embodiments, when a user moves within a threshold distance of anobject associated with a task (or, likewise, when a user finds all or arequired threshold of objects associated with tasks), the mobile deviceor the tracking device of the user can emit a notification, such as anaudio sound, a vibration, a displayed notification (such as a lit LED ora graphical notification on a display), and the like. In someembodiments, the mobile device or tracking of the user emits suchnotifications in response to a notification from the tracking system 100that one or more objects detected the tracking device, while in otherembodiments, the mobile device or the tracking device emitsnotifications in response to the tracking device detecting the object.

In some embodiments, tracking the completion of a task by the trackingsystem 100 requires the satisfaction of a combination of criteria. Forinstance, completing a task can require both the detection of a trackingdevice by an object, and the substantially concurrent performance of anaction by a user. For example, each object can require a user to watch acorresponding video on the mobile device of the user, to take a quiz orenter an input on the mobile device, or to interact with the objectwhile the user is within a threshold proximity of the object. In suchembodiments, the tracking system 100 can include an order of tasks (suchas job training tasks, educational tasks, or entertainment tasks) eachassociated with a different object in a different location, enabling anentity associated with the tracking system to coordinate the completionof tasks by users. In such embodiments, the tracking system can identifythe tasks that must be performed and the locations in which they must beperformed to the mobile device of the user, and the mobile device candisplay the tasks and locations to the user, enabling the user toidentify a next task that must be performed, to view previouslyperformed tasks, and to view when all tasks have been completed.

In some embodiments, instead of objects located within a geographicarea, a set of tracking devices can be located within a geographic area,and a user can find each tracking device by moving within a thresholdproximity of the tracking device such that a mobile device of the userreceives a signal from the tracking device. The mobile device of theuser can notify the tracking system that the mobile device detected thetracking device, and the tracking system can track that the user foundthe tracking device. In such embodiments, the tracking device canprovide an identifier that uniquely identifies the tracking device or asecret code to the mobile device. The mobile device in turn can providethe unique identifier or the secret code to the tracking system. Thetracking system, in response to receiving the unique identifier orsecret code from the mobile device, can classify the tracking device asfound by the user of the mobile device.

FIG. 6 illustrates an example scavenger hunt implemented in a trackingsystem environment, according to one embodiment. In the embodiment ofFIG. 6, a scavenger hunt is organized within a geographic area 600. Auser 602 participating in the scavenger hunt will bring a mobile device604 and will traverse the area 600. The mobile device 604 can display atracking device interface associated with the scavenger hunt. Within thetracking device interface, a representation of each tracking deviceassociated with the scavenger hunt will be displayed. For instance, thetracking device interface can include an icon for each tracking deviceassociated with the scavenger hunt, text describing or identifying eachtracking device in the scavenger hunt (or a task that must be completedcorresponding to each tracking device), an indication of a time rangeduring which each tracking device must be found, a checklist with anentry for each tracking device in the scavenger hunt (such that eachchecklist entry is checked off after the corresponding tracking deviceis found), and the like. The tracking device interface can furtherdisplay an approximate location of each tracking device (for instance,within a map interface), and a direction or heading associated with eachtracking device or the closest tracking device relative to the user.

Three tracking devices 610A, 610B, and 610C are included within thescavenger hunt of the embodiment of FIG. 6. Each tracking device 610 isassociated with a corresponding range 612 indicated within FIG. 6, andrepresentative of the communicative range of the tracking device. Asnoted above, each tracking device 610 transmits periodic signals orcommunications that include an identity of the tracking device. When themobile device 604 moves within the range 612 of a tracking device, suchas tracking device 610A, the mobile device can receive a signal from thetracking device 610A. The mobile device 604 then determines a locationof the mobile device using, for instance, a GPS receiver or otherlocation-detection functionality, and provides the location of themobile device and the identity of the tracking device 610A to a centraltracking system 100.

In some embodiments, in response to the tracking device 610A beingincluded within the scavenger hunt, the central tracking system 100 canprovide an instruction to the mobile device 604 or can otherwise causethe mobile device to modify the representation of the tracking device610A displayed within the tracking device interface of the mobile deviceto indicate that the tracking device 610A has been found. In someembodiments, the mobile device 604 can determine that the trackingdevice 610A is included within the scavenger hunt independently of orwithout communicating with the central tracking device 100, and canmodify the tracking device interface to indicate that the trackingdevice 610A has been found in response to receiving a communication fromthe tracking device 610A.

The user 602 can continue to move around the area 600 until the mobiledevice 604 receives a communication from each of the tracking devices610. Upon receiving a communication from each successive tracking device610, the tracking device interface of the mobile device 604 is modifiedto indicate that each new tracking device has been found. When all ofthe tracking devices 610 have been found, the tracking device interfacecan be modified (for instance, in response to an instruction from thecentral tracking system 100 or in response to the mobile device 604determining that each tracking device 610 has been found) to indicatethat each tracking device has been found, or that the scavenger hunt hasbeen completed. In some embodiments, the tracking device interface canindicate a position or rank among a group of users that the user 602completed the scavenger hunt. For instance, if the user 602 was thethird user of a group of users to complete the scavenger hunt, themobile device 604 can display the text “Congratulations, you've placedthird in the scavenger hunt!”

FIG. 7 is a flow chart illustrating a process for locating trackingdevices within a scavenger hunt, according to one embodiment. A mobiledevice displays 700 a representation of each tracking device in a set oftracking devices of a scavenger hunt. The identities of each trackingdevice in the set of tracking devices can be provided to the mobiledevice, for instance from a central tracking system or from anotherdevice. In some embodiments, the locations of each tracking device canalso be provided to the mobile device, and the mobile device can displaythe locations (or approximate locations) of the tracking devices withina tracking device interface of the mobile device (for instance, within amap). In other embodiments, the locations of each tracking device in thescavenger hunt are not provided to the mobile device, and thus are notcommunicated to the user. In such embodiments, hints or clues regardingthe location of each tracking device may be provided to the mobiledevice for display to the user.

The mobile device receives 710 a signal from a tracking device of theset of tracking devices while the mobile device is within thecommunicative range of or a threshold proximity of the tracking device.The received signal includes an identity of the tracking device, and caninclude additional information, such as information describing a taskthat must be performed or completed before the tracking device can bemarked as found within the tracking device interface of the mobiledevice. The mobile device, in response to receiving the signal, candetermine a location of the mobile device using location-detectionfunctionality of the mobile device, and can provide the location of themobile device and the identity of the tracking device to a centraltracking server. The central tracking server can update a last knownlocation of the tracking device to the received mobile device location.

The central tracking server can determine that the tracking device ispart of the set of tracking devices (for instance, by comparing thereceived identity of the tracking device to a list of identities of thetracking devices within the set of tracking devices), and can cause themobile device to display an indication or modify 720 a displayedrepresentation of the tracking device to indicate that the trackingdevice has been found. In some embodiments, the mobile device candetermine that the tracking device is part of the set of trackingdevices independently of the central tracking system, and can modify 720the displayed representation of the tracking device to indicate that thetracking device has been found. It should be noted that in someembodiments, before the displayed representation of the tracking devicecan be modified to indicate that the tracking device has been found, themobile device or a user of the mobile device must complete a taskassociated with the tracking device. For instance, marking a trackingdevice as found might require solving a puzzle or riddle associated withthe tracking device, reading a passage of text displayed by the mobiledevice, speaking to another person or hearing another person speak,perform a manual or physical task, and the like. Upon completing thetask, a user may receive a code or unique identifier, and can providethe code or identifier to the central tracking system or within atracking device application being executed by the mobile device in orderto mark the tracking device as found. As such, the scavenger hunt caninclude a set of training exercises, a corporate meet-and-greet, or ateam-building exercise that must be navigated before the scavenger huntcan be completed.

In response to each of the tracking devices within the set of trackingdevices being found by the mobile device, the mobile device can display730 an indication that the scavenger hunt has been completed. In someembodiments, the indication can be displayed in response to receiving aninstruction from a central tracking server, while in other embodiments,the indication can be displayed by the mobile device independently ofthe central tracking server.

ADDITIONAL CONSIDERATIONS

The foregoing description of the embodiments of the invention has beenpresented for the purpose of illustration; it is not intended to beexhaustive or to limit the invention to the precise forms disclosed.Persons skilled in the relevant art can appreciate that manymodifications and variations are possible in light of the abovedisclosure.

Any of the devices or systems described herein can be implemented by oneor more computing devices. A computing device can include a processor, amemory, a storage device, an I/O interface, and a communicationinterface, which may be communicatively coupled by way of communicationinfrastructure. Additional or alternative components may be used inother embodiments. In particular embodiments, a processor includeshardware for executing computer program instructions by retrieving theinstructions from an internal register, an internal cache, or othermemory or storage device, and decoding and executing them. The memorycan be used for storing data or instructions for execution by theprocessor. The memory can be any suitable storage mechanism, such asRAM, ROM, flash memory, solid state memory, and the like. The storagedevice can store data or computer instructions, and can include a harddisk drive, flash memory, an optical disc, or any other suitable storagedevice. The I/O interface allows a user to interact with the computingdevice, and can include a mouse, keypad, keyboard, touch screeninterface, and the like. The communication interface can includehardware, software, or a combination of both, and can provide one ormore interfaces for communication with other devices or entities.

Some portions of this description describe the embodiments of theinvention in terms of algorithms and symbolic representations ofoperations on information. These algorithmic descriptions andrepresentations are commonly used by those skilled in the dataprocessing arts to convey the substance of their work effectively toothers skilled in the art. These operations, while describedfunctionally, computationally, or logically, are understood to beimplemented by computer programs or equivalent electrical circuits,microcode, or the like. Furthermore, it has also proven convenient attimes, to refer to these arrangements of operations/as modules, withoutloss of generality. The described operations and their associatedmodules may be embodied in software, firmware, hardware, or anycombinations thereof.

Any of the steps, operations, or processes described herein may beperformed or implemented with one or more hardware or software modules,alone or in combination with other devices. In one embodiment, asoftware module is implemented with a computer program productcomprising a computer-readable medium containing computer program code,which can be executed by a computer processor for performing any or allof the steps, operations, or processes described.

Embodiments of the invention may also relate to an apparatus forperforming the operations herein. This apparatus may be speciallyconstructed for the required purposes, and/or it may comprise ageneral-purpose computing device selectively activated or reconfiguredby a computer program stored in the computer. Such a computer programmay be stored in a non-transitory, tangible computer readable storagemedium, or any type of media suitable for storing electronicinstructions, which may be coupled to a computer system bus.Furthermore, any computing systems referred to in the specification mayinclude a single processor or may be architectures employing multipleprocessor designs for increased computing capability.

Embodiments of the invention may also relate to a product that isproduced by a computing process described herein. Such a product maycomprise information resulting from a computing process, where theinformation is stored on a non-transitory, tangible computer readablestorage medium and may include any embodiment of a computer programproduct or other data combination described herein.

Finally, the language used in the specification has been principallyselected for readability and instructional purposes, and it may not havebeen selected to delineate or circumscribe the inventive subject matter.It is therefore intended that the scope of the invention be limited notby this detailed description, but rather by any claims that issue on anapplication based hereon. Accordingly, the disclosure of the embodimentsof the invention is intended to be illustrative, but not limiting, ofthe scope of the invention, which is set forth in the following claims.

1. A method for tracking the location of objects in a tracking deviceenvironment, comprising: receiving, by a mobile device from a trackingserver, an identity for each of a set of tracking devices located withina geographic area, each tracking device associated with a task to becompleted by a user of the mobile device; displaying, within a trackingdevice interface of the mobile device, a representation for each of theset of tracking devices; in response to both receiving a signalidentifying a tracking device of the set of tracking devices andreceiving an indication that the task associated with the trackingdevice has been completed, providing an indication to the trackingserver that the first tracking device has been found; and in response toreceiving an indication from the tracking server that each of the set oftracking devices has been found by the mobile device, displaying, by themobile device, an indication in the tracking device interface that allof the set of tracking devices have been found.
 2. The method of claim1, wherein the set of tracking devices are part of a scavenger hunt, andwherein the mobile device receives an indication from the trackingserver that a user has completed the scavenger hunt in response tofinding each of the set of tracking devices.
 3. The method of claim 2,wherein the scavenger hunt includes a plurality of users, and whereinthe received indication that the user has completed the scavenger huntincludes a rank or position of the user relative to other users of theplurality of users that have completed the scavenger hunt.
 4. The methodof claim 1, wherein displaying a representation for each of the set oftracking devices comprises displaying an icon corresponding to each ofthe tracking devices or corresponding to an object to which eachtracking device is coupled.
 5. The method of claim 1, wherein displayinga representation for each of the set of tracking devices comprisesdisplaying information describing the task associated with the trackingdevice that must be completed by the user.
 6. The method of claim 1,wherein the tracking server provides an approximate geographic locationof each of the set of tracking devices, and wherein the mobile device isconfigured to display a representation of the approximate geographiclocation of each of the set of tracking devices within the trackingdevice interface.
 7. The method of claim 5, wherein displaying therepresentation of the approximate geographic locations comprisesdisplaying the approximate geographic locations within a map interfaceof the tracking device interface.
 8. The method of claim 1, wherein eachtask comprises an action that must be performed by the user.
 9. Themethod of claim 1, wherein each task comprises one of: a job trainingtask, an educational task, and an entertainment task.
 10. The method ofclaim 1, wherein each tracking device in the set of tracking devices isassociated with a time range, and wherein the mobile device modifies thedisplayed representation of the tracking device within the trackingdevice interface to indicate that the tracking device has been foundonly if the received signal identifying the tracking device is receivedduring the time range associated with the tracking device.
 11. Anon-transitory computer-readable storage medium storing instructions fortracking the location of objects in a tracking device environment, theinstructions, when executed by a hardware processor, configured to causethe hardware processor to perform steps comprising: receiving, by amobile device from a tracking server, an identity for each of a set oftracking devices located within a geographic area, each tracking deviceassociated with a task to be completed by a user of the mobile device;displaying, within a tracking device interface of the mobile device, arepresentation for each of the set of tracking devices; in response toboth receiving a signal identifying a tracking device of the set oftracking devices and receiving an indication that the task associatedwith the tracking device has been completed, providing an indication tothe tracking server that the first tracking device has been found; andin response to receiving an indication from the tracking server thateach of the set of tracking devices has been found by the mobile device,displaying, by the mobile device, an indication in the tracking deviceinterface that all of the set of tracking devices have been found. 12.The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 11, whereinthe set of tracking devices are part of a scavenger hunt, and whereinthe mobile device receives an indication from the tracking server that auser has completed the scavenger hunt in response to finding each of theset of tracking devices.
 13. The non-transitory computer-readablestorage medium of claim 12, wherein the scavenger hunt includes aplurality of users, and wherein the received indication that the userhas completed the scavenger hunt includes a rank or position of the userrelative to other users of the plurality of users that have completedthe scavenger hunt.
 14. The non-transitory computer-readable storagemedium of claim 11, wherein displaying a representation for each of theset of tracking devices comprises displaying an icon corresponding toeach of the tracking devices or corresponding to an object to which eachtracking device is coupled.
 15. The non-transitory computer-readablestorage medium of claim 11, wherein displaying a representation for eachof the set of tracking devices comprises displaying informationdescribing the task associated with the tracking device that must becompleted by the user.
 16. The non-transitory computer-readable storagemedium of claim 11, wherein the tracking server provides an approximategeographic location of each of the set of tracking devices, and whereinthe mobile device is configured to display a representation of theapproximate geographic location of each of the set of tracking deviceswithin the tracking device interface.
 17. The non-transitorycomputer-readable storage medium of claim 15, wherein displaying therepresentation of the approximate geographic locations comprisesdisplaying the approximate geographic locations within a map interfaceof the tracking device interface.
 18. The non-transitorycomputer-readable storage medium of claim 11, wherein each taskcomprises an action that must be performed by the user.
 19. Thenon-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 11, whereineach task comprises one of: a job training task, an educational task,and an entertainment task.
 20. The non-transitory computer-readablestorage medium of claim 11, wherein each tracking device in the set oftracking devices is associated with a time range, and wherein the mobiledevice modifies the displayed representation of the tracking devicewithin the tracking device interface to indicate that the trackingdevice has been found only if the received signal identifying thetracking device is received during the time range associated with thetracking device.